


The Captured Hunter

by NothingToDismay



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-23 04:23:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17676365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NothingToDismay/pseuds/NothingToDismay
Summary: An amoral bounty hunter is sent after a newly resurrected Courier Six. With a solid plan he tracks her down and is set to capture her - until that plan swiftly goes awry.





	1. Tracking the Courier

I lie on the baking Mojave sand, eye glued to my scope, crosshairs trained on the road leading into Freeside. Small comfort is offered by the burlap blanket covering me, giving me protection from the sun and camouflaging myself. My dark leather duster and jeans don’t exactly blend in to yellow the sand. I suck in and warm, leathery-tasting water seeps into my mouth. I hope my bounty doesn’t take too much longer. I’m starting to get hungry. 

Whenever I get tempted to move - to get up or else do something to reveal myself - I think about the fat sack of caps the Powder Gangers flashed me for this bounty delivered back to them. It’ll cover my room in Novac for weeks. I glance down for a split second to check my watch. Half past noon. Dammit. The day’s only going to get warmer. I look back into my scope and examine a caravan before satisfying my curiosity that the bounty isn’t among them. 

The bounty paper nor the men who gave it to me didn’t really say what she had done, but it wasn’t difficult to tell. She had either killed a lot of the Powder Gangers, someone high up, or both. No one gets that fat of a price on their heads from stealing a box of Sugar Bombers. I’d have one that size with the Gangers, too, if I was dumb enough to get caught killing them for bounties. Any criminal who isn’t smart enough to avoid getting caught by the NCR is almost asking for it. I’ve heard stories of old-world devices that could take videos of you and use it in a court as pretty damning evidence, along with marvels like proving you were there using your hair or spit or something. Now, in order to get convicted in their court, you practically have to be committing the crime as someone arrests you. 

Movement in my scope makes me refocus. A tall woman in a vault suit with brown, curly hair stuffed under a baseball cap. My bounty, alright. The paper said she’d have a varmint rifle, but she seems to have upgraded to a caravan shotgun. I start to adjust my aim for her knee - the Gangers want her alive - when a red beret makes me stop. I look to her right and find a man trailing close behind her. He’s got a red beret on and a simple shirt and cargo pants. Red beret means 1st Recon. “Looks like you’ve picked up a friend,” I mutter. A very dangerous one, at that. 

This throws a wrench in my plans. I could shoot the sniper right away, but that means the bounty would likely get into cover and return fire. From everything the Gangers told me, she’s good in a fight. If I shoot her leg anyway then that sniper’s going to paint my brains over the desert before I can work the bolt. I chew my lip, tracking them through my scope, until they walk past the Kings at the entrance and into Freeside. Once the gate shuts I stand up and pack my gear neatly into my rucksack, slinging my scoped hunting rifle over my back and double-checking that my revolver and pistol are in their holsters with my brush gun tied to the top of my ruck and bowie knife on the side. It’s a heavy load but I’ve gotten used to it. I head down the hill and through the gate, nodding to the Kings and putting on my cowboy hat as I go. 

I see the pair turn the corner heading for The Strip. Best not to trail too close. There’s not many places they can get off to, I’m confident the trail won’t turn cold. Might as well stock up on ammo and supplies while I’m here. I turn into Mick and Ralph’s, the latter reading a book while the former cleans a rusty handgun. “Is that Duke goddamn Freebairn in my store?” Mick shouts from the back. I grin and wave. “How’s it going, big man?” “Business is good, my friend. Business is good.” Ralph closes his book and returns the smile. “What brings you into town, my friend?” “You know. The usual.” “Oh, God. Are you gonna kill another customer?” “Don’t think so. This one’s new in town.”

Ralph takes out my usual order - food, some bottled water, and stimpaks - while Mick starts assembling a few boxes of my various ammo types. “I got a few grenades in the other day. You interested?” “You do know I need my bounties recognizable, right?” “Just thought you might be interested.” “Thanks but no thanks.” Mick shrugs and finishes counting bullets. I reach into my bag and start pulling out rolls of caps along with various valuables. “Yo, Mick! I found that thing your buyer wanted!” I reach into my bag and find an old world handgun that could fit in the palm of my hand. “No friggin’ way!” He comes over from the back and takes the gun, examining it closely. “Takes six .380 rounds, seven with one in the chamber. It was it pretty crappy condition but I cleaned it up. Nabbed it in some Jet manufacturer’s den, the NCR had a pretty good price on his head.” 

Once Mick’s done examining the gun to his satisfaction he pockets it and starts packing the ammo in my bag. “Take this for free, man. You’re really doing me a solid.” “I can’t do that, it really was no trouble.” “I insist.” I chuckle and shrug. “Alright. Thank you.” I pay Ralph for his goods and shoulder my ruck. “You ever find out what the buyer wanted it for?” “Not my business, Duke.” “Fair enough. You two take care of yourselves, alright? I’m gonna go pay a visit to the King and then nab my bounty.” I head back out onto the street. 

I moved out of this place years ago, but Freeside is still my home, to an extent. I feel safe here among the gangs and criminals. I know who my friends and enemies are. I know who I can rely on in a pinch, and who needs a bullet if they’re unlucky enough to cross my path. One person I know I can rely on is the King. I stroll down the road, tipping my hat to the Kings and squatters alike. When I reach their base the door guard waves me right through. When I get inside I grab a Nuka-Cola from the coolers in the front room and pop the top on the counter. I take a swig, savoring the sweet, sugary flavor. I lean against the wall and take a deep breath. It’s good to be back. 

“You pay for that, stranger?” A low, suave voice asks. I spin around to find a familiar face in a white suit. A smile quickly sets upon my features as I stride over and wrap my arms around The King, pounding his back with my fist. He laughs and pushes me back a little to get a better look at me. “Good God, boy, don’t you ever shave?” He slaps my cheek, stubble grating against his hand. “I’ve been on the road!” “No excuse. A King always looks his best.” I roll my eyes and the King snags a drink from the cooler. “Don’t give me that look. First impressions count for a lot. You sacrifice goodwill when you show up looking like you’ve been dragged through the dirt.” He looks down at his heels and whistles. “Come here, Rexy!” 

I hear nails click against the floor before I see the King’s faithful cybernetic dog. “Hey, boy!” I kneel down to welcome the old dog and, to my surprise, he immediately stops and curls his tail between his legs. “Rex?” “Don’t take it personally. It’s that old brain of his. It’s starting to go.” I knit my eyebrows together. “Have you been to the Followers?” “It didn’t go too well.” I stand up and sigh. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground. Maybe I’ll find something.” “I appreciate it.” I tip my hat up and scratch my forehead. “In any case, how’s Freeside?” “We’re trucking along, baby. We’re getting more and more NCR squatters each day, but we’re doing our best to keep the peace.” 

“Wouldn’t expect anything less, King.” I chug the rest of my Nuka-Cola and toss it into a trashcan. “Sorry this was so brief, but I have to head out. A bounty’s just come through.” “Ah, I understand. Be careful.” “I always am.” I wave goodbye to a couple other Kings and make my way to the Strip. 

* * *

I keep my hat brim low and my face hidden behind a magazine as I sit on a bench and watch the Strip for signs of the distinctive Vault Suit. A couple people on the street were talking about someone in Vault getup walking into the Lucky 38, but I sincerely doubt they saw things correctly. No one goes into the Lucky 38. I flip a page of the magazine and continue to “read.”

I spy the woman cross the road and walk into the Tops casino after a few minutes of waiting, her 1st Recon buddy not far behind. I wait until they enter and go to a shady-looking man in a grimy striped suit by the gate to the Strip. Without a word I lean onto the wall next to him and slip him a roll of caps and a few packs of cigarettes. He hands me a silenced .22 pistol and an extra magazine of ammo. I push off the wall and stuff the pistol under my shirt, making a beeline for the Tops. The guard confiscates my weapons using that obnoxious “ring-a-ding” lingo, missing the pistol, and I make it onto the floor in time to see my target get into an elevator with Benny, the head of his tribe of Chairmen. They make me sick. Sitting here in old world luxury while people fifty yards away overdose on spiked chems. 

The lights on the elevator start pinging left to right. They’re going up. I walk straight for the stairs, noting that the bounty’s friend is sitting at a roulette table. She and Benny are going up in an elevator alone, so it’s safe to say that they’re headed for his personal suite. Gross. Benny isn’t exactly a looker on the best of days. I pat my chest to make sure my gun is still in place and pick up the pace, climbing the steps two at a time. I don’t have any issue putting a bullet in Benny’s head, but I highly doubt I can get out of here with a screaming, flailing bounty. My mind whirs as I check each floor, looking for a door obviously belonging to a head honcho. 

Finally, with burning legs and gasping breath, I reach the top floor and immediately spot a decked-out, swanky room. Yeah. That’s Benny’s. I load my pistol quietly and check it. It’s a tad rusty but much better than the usual stock that Holdout sells. It’ll work. I sidle up to the door and check the hallway one last time. Empty. For one more second I think hard but completely fail to think of a plan. Looks like I’m going in hard and fast, get to them before they get their whereabouts. God, I hope I don’t catch them in the act. I stand square in front of the door, raise my boot, and kick so hard the door splinters and flies open. I rush in, gun raised. 

The first thing that greets my eyes is the sight of my bounty standing behind Benny pressing a broken pool cue against his throat. “Drop the gun or he gets it!” She growls. I blink, making sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me. “I will kill your boss right now unless you-” Her words are cut off by the soft phut of my pistol and Benny’s body going limp in her arms. The body falls to the floor at the same time the brass casing hits the wood. “Goddamn, it was about time someone shut that bastard up.” My target takes a shaky breath and backs behind the bar. Not out of fear, no - that’s an emotion I know well, and it’s not on her face, even with a killer training a gun on her. She going behind the bar for cover. A few extra seconds of thinking time. Smart. 

“You here to kill me?” “No. I’m here to take you somewhere.” “Where?” “A place you’re not gonna like.” Brown eyes dart around the room, looking for an out. “I don’t want to have to shoot you, but I will. One of the shoulders, probably - a painful wound, so I suggest you come quietly and we can get this-” “NOW!” Thudding footsteps behind me give me little warning to react before I see a flying fist, feel my nose crack, and then my mind goes black.


	2. "Catching" The Bounty

Voices start to float to me - muffled and hazy at first, but quickly gaining clarity, along with the throbbing pain in my nose. I try to reach for it, but my hand is quickly pulled back to its place. I try to stand but my feet won’t budge, either. 

“He’s up, Sarah.”

“Hey! Asshole!” A sharp kick is delivered to my leg.

“Gah! Christ, I’m awake!” I open my eyes, blinking rapidly and squinting to try and adjust to the bright light. A slap is delivered to my face. “I said I’m up!” 

“That one was for trying to shoot me.” My eyes finally start to adjust and I see my bounty’s eyes inches from my own, her tanned face glaring at me. Sarah, I think her name is, based on what her partner said. I’m tied to chair facing the bar in Benny’s suite, with the dead Chairman wrapped in a sheet in the corner. 

“I wasn’t trying to shoot you, I was trying to capture you.” She spits and part of it gets on my cheek. “Charming.” I lean my head to the side and scrape it off on my coat.

I look around the room and see a familiar face standing guard by the door, keeping an eye on the hall. Damn it, I should have guessed it was him from the beret. Not many other First Recon snipers wear their beret off-duty. Hell, not many other First Recon snipers, period.

“Hey, Boone.”

“Duke,” He replies. The sniper doesn’t sound particularly angry, so that’s a plus. 

“You know him?” Boone nods.

“He rents a room in Novac. Bounty hunter, sniper, gunslinger, and murderer.” I nod and offer a faint smile. 

“That’s about the size of it. Any luck on finding who sold your wife?” 

“Jeannie May Crawford.” I raise my eyebrows. 

“Really? The old woman who ran the motel?” I close my eyes and think for a moment. “I thought it was Manny, in all honesty. I just couldn’t find any proof.”

“Focus!” My bounty redirects my attention back to her. “Who are you and why are you trying to kill me?” 

“I think Boone already answered your questions. And again, I’m not trying to kill you.”   
Sarah straightens up and turns around, looking at the ceiling. She takes off her cap and runs her hand through her frizzled, curly hair. She paces for a minute and I hear her faintly counting down. When she reaches “one,” she puts her hat back on and returns to her spot in front of me. 

“Okay. You bust into the room right before I kill Benny. I thought you were a bodyguard until you capped the asshole…” she continues to recount the events, more talking to herself than me. “...Boone came up like we arranged in the lobby, decked you, searched the back room, and now we’re here. You really didn’t want to shoot me so you’re telling the truth about keeping me alive. So now all that’s left is why you’re after me in the first place. Bounty hunter which means I offended someone, badly enough that they want me alive, but the only people I’ve really pissed off have been...bingo. Powder Gangers.” She grins and stands up. 

“Impressive. That was fast.”

“Thank you. Now I don’t need you.” She pulls my silenced pistol from her waistband and levels it at my head.

“Whoa! Easy! You don’t want to do that!” I laugh. “You’re sharp but you really need to know someone before you shoot them.”

“How’s that?” Sarah asks.

“Something our mutual friend-” 

“I’m not your friend,” Boone interjects.

“-Our mutual acquaintance neglected to mention one thing: I have very powerful allies in Freeside. Stronger than the Powder Gangers could hope to get, because they control the only way in or out of the strip. You kill me, word of my death will spread, and you will never get back in here without a knife in your gut or bullet in your chest.” 

My bounty - well, now, my captor - looks back to Boone for confirmation. The sniper shrugs.

“I don’t know much about him other than what I already said,” Boone states.

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” 

“Maybe. Wouldn’t put it past him to lie. But at the same time, the NCR has no official record on Duke that I know about, which means shooting him would be a murder charge. Especially tied to a chair, and after a gun in your possession shot Benny. I wouldn’t do it.” The woman sighs and holsters the gun.

“May I suggest a resolution that benefits all of us?” The woman waves me off but I continue anyway. “When Benny doesn’t return downstairs, his bodyguards are going to come looking. That puts us on a time crunch. They are going to be very heavily armed and that peashooter won’t do much to deter them. We need to get out of here.”

Sarah scoffs. “We? No, Boone and I are getting out of here. You can stay here.”

“So I can tell the bodyguards about you? And all this?” I motion around the room with my head “Not likely. You need me with you to guarantee safe passage out of Freeside. Without me, the Kings won’t let you step foot on the Strip ever again. So you let me go, give me my guns, and we all forget this ever happened.”

“What says I want to get back onto the Strip at all?” Sarah asks. For a second, I’m caught. Her attacking Benny could have been revenge for something and now she’s going to skip town. That is, unless I decide to take a gamble. Time to see if the rumor was true. “If you don’t have anything else to offer me, then I guess we’ll just be on our way,” She says while walking for the door. 

“You spoke to Mr. House.” Sarah pauses - for just a fraction of a second - before she keeps walking. All I need to confirm it. “I saw you walk into the Lucky 38. The first person to do so since anyone can remember.” Sarah doesn’t stop. “Something like that you don’t just walk away from! You’re coming back into the city, and you’re not going to step foot in the Strip unless I’m still alive!” 

Sarah stops dead, two steps from the door. “God...damn it.” She turns around. “If I find out you’re bluffing about your allies, if you try anything funny, if you so much as scratch your ass too fast and I will shoot you dead, understand?” 

“Completely.” Sarah walks over to me, plants the pistol against the bonds on my right hand, and fires. The bullet narrowly misses my wrist and I wince from the heat. “You can get the rest yourself.” I yank my arm free and work on untying the rest of my body. 

“Sarah, someone’s coming up the elevator.” Boone draws a pistol from his belt, the slide engraved with floral patterns.

“Got it. Let’s get a move on. Hurry up, Duke, or I’m leaving you behind.”   
“Almost there.” I untie my last leg and stand up, rubbing my wrists and following my two new companions down the hall and away from the crime scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say, I hope you all enjoy this story! I got a burst of inspiration so I wrote this out quickly. I always welcome comments, and I hope I do one of my favorite games justice with this work.


	3. Freeside

I walk down the steps of the Tops Casino quickly, right behind Boone and Sarah. On about the fifth floor, Chairmen race past us on their way up. They don’t even give us a second glance. Excellent. 

“As soon as they hand our weapons back, take the bounty hunter’s ammunition and watch him. I don’t want him running ahead to Freeside to set up an ambush.” 

“Is taking my ammo really necessary? I already said I would forget all about this.” Silence is my only answer. Great. I don’t like being stripped clean, and I doubt I’m going to be able to sneak away to Mr. Holdout with that sniper watching me like a hawk. 

We reach the bottom floor and Sarah goes ahead to fetch her weapons and go out to the Strip. Boone gets his sniper rifle back and watches me as I’m handed back my small arsenal’s worth of arms. As soon as I receive them I eject the magazines and cartridges in all my guns, handing them over to Boone. He gives me a stern look before I groan and set my rucksack on the floor before handing over my spare magazines and boxes of ammunition. He doesn’t even let me keep my knife, stowing it in his waistband. 

“Meticulous, aren’t you?” 

“Just go outside.”

We walk out into the hot Nevada sun in time to see Sarah enter the Lucky 38. We walk over and lean against the wall to wait for her. Something about the Securitron in front of the door tells me we aren’t about to get in anytime soon. For a few minutes we wait in silence, my guard keeping constant watch from behind his sunglasses. I idly spin the cylinders on my empty Ranger Sequoia revolver and thinking about what my plan is after I get out of Freeside. After this business on the Strip, I should lie low for a couple of days, make sure nothing about Benny’s death gets traced to me. That rules out anywhere the NCR camps out, they’d arrest me for sure. If I head back north, the Gangers will find me for sure. Freeside’s too close to the Strip for comfort. Talk about being caught between a rock and a noose. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find out about your wife.”

“You tried.” 

“Any idea how Sarah found out?” 

“No-Bark told her.” Boone chuckles a little. “Of all the leads I followed...I never thought to listen to that raving lunatic.”

I crack a grin. “God, I wonder what secrets that man keeps in his head. He probably knows a lot more than he lets on. Everyone thinks he’s crazy, so no one watches what they say around him.” 

Boone smiles slightly, completely relaxed against the Lucky 38. Usually, people guarding a known bounty hunter and killer are a little more on their toes. Maybe he knows me well enough to not consider me a threat. I’ve done my best to try and build a reputation as a man of my word, after all. I’ve never reneged on an agreement (until now) or stabbed an employer in the back. 

A young NCR trooper jogs up to the casino and stands at attention in front of the door. Out of habit I tilt my hat down over my eyes. As far as I know I’m not wanted, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The trooper stays planted there, chin held high and arms at his side, until Sarah leaves the casino a little while later. The trooper shoves an envelope in her hands, salutes, and runs away, back towards the NCR Embassy. Sarah begins to walk over to us, reading the letter the trooper handed her, and I stand up. 

“What was that about?” Boone asks. 

“Someone at the embassy wants to speak to me about helping the NCR.” Sarah chews her lip, staring at the letter. After a minute she folds it up and stuffs it into her pocket. “Later. First we need to get to Fortification Hill to activate the rest of Mr. House’s securitrons.” Boone immediately stiffens up. 

“How are we getting in?” Boone asks. Even I know that if they’re not going in guns blazing, Boone’s not going. 

“I was just given the mark of Caesar by that one guy - Vulpa something. I saw him in Nipton, after...after they sacked the town.” Sarah falls silent and her face falls. I knit my eyebrows together. The Legion’s as far as Nipton? AND managed to destroy it without the NCR noticing? That doesn’t bode well. 

“Vulpes Inculta.” Boone spits onto the sidewalk. “Caesar's right-hand man. Grade-A bastard and sadist. The NCR’s had a hefty price on his head for a while.” He looks down at me, crouched against the wall, and nudges my knee with his boot. “Why don’t you go after him? Do some good for once?” 

“Ha! Yeah, right. Just waltz into the Fort, shoot the fucker, and walk right out again? Maybe I’ll wipe my nose on Caesar’s shirt while I’m at it.” I stand up and stretch, following the duo out into Freeside. “So, I’m assuming I’ll be enjoying your company all the way to Cottonwood Cove?” I ask, directing my question to Sarah. 

“What the Hell gives you that idea?” She snarls. Her grip tightens around her caravan shotgun. Maybe I should lay off the wiseass remarks. “As soon as we’re out of Freeside Boone and I are going straight for Fortification Hill, and if I so much as THINK I see you following us then I’m gonna start shooting.” 

“Here’s the thing: Boone isn’t going into the Fort. And neither will you, if he’s with you. Because as soon as that man gets within half a mile of anything dressed in red with a penchant for slavery, he’s going to start shooting. Correct me if I’m wrong?” Boone doesn’t reply in the positive or negative, but I know I’m right. “I can’t blame him, I’d do the same if the odds were in my favor. But on the Legion’s home turf? No way. You two are gonna be dead before the day’s out, I can guarantee that.” 

“And you can do so much better? The second you get the chance you’ll put a bullet in my leg and drag me back to the Powder Gangers.” 

“I’d like to stress that that whole incident was completely business, and I said it was over. I’m a man of my word. I had nothing personal against you. If anything, I like you more than the Gangers now! You let me live and gave me a second chance!” Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of the Kings eye the three of us - one of the members who heard me talking about the bounty. I shake my head and he backs off. “Look, by yourself, Caesar’s barely going to acknowledge you. The Legion isn’t a fan of women. At all. If you’re with me, they might pay more attention to you.”

“You know what? I’m done listening to you.” We walk past the Silver Rush crier and Sarah slows down at his mention of energy weapons. “What, you want an energy weapon?” I ask her. “Let me save you some time: you can’t afford it. The Silver Rush raise their rates so high only the richest of the rich can get their good guns.” Sarah pretends not to hear me and turns down the road. “Fine. Suit yourself. If you wouldn’t mind, Boone and I will wait outside. The guards creep me out.” 

Sarah walks into the Silver Rush, handing her caravan shotgun off to the door guard as she does so. Barely five minutes go by before she emerges empty-handed. “Told you.” 

“Shut up.” 

“I can get you one.” 

That gets her attention. Sarah looks back at me, eyes narrowed. “Out of the goodness of your heart?” I laugh out loud. 

“Of course not! It’s under the condition that you let me accompany you to the Fort and back. But I can get you a weapon in there. Free of charge. I have a few favors I can call in.” The three of us stand in the road, Sarah’s eyes locked with mine. Weighing the risks and benefits. Finally, she turns to Boone. 

“Is everything he said true?” 

“So far.” 

Sarah groans. “Fine. Come out with a plasma rifle and plenty of ammo to spare, and you can be my human shield to the Fort. But one wrong move-” 

“And my brains are going over the Mojave. I read you loud and clear.” I hand over my empty weapons to the guard and stroll in, fully prepared to lose a favor I’ve been saving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait - school's been rough and free time has been scarce, but I promise I'll keep trucking along on the writing. Thank you for reading!


End file.
